Driven by demand from the electric power sector, the United States set new records in natural gas production, consumption and gross exports in 2019, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported Monday.

US natural gas production, exports

In its Natural Gas Annual report, EIA said 2019 gas consumption increased 3%, led by a 7% increase in power sector demand that was due in large part to ongoing coal plant retirements, EIA said. This reflected a multi-year trend as U.S. coal-burning power plants shutter amid a broader shift to cleaner energy alternatives, notably including natural gas.

Foreign power sector and industrial energy needs fueled U.S. export demand and helped sop up mounting production levels.

Dry natural gas production jumped 10% from the previous year and averaged 93.1 billion Bcf/d, a...